Front Row — Page 51

Dexterdexterdexter Fall 2016

February 6, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Fashion editors are always looking for what’s next in men’s fashion or that innovative designer that is pushing menswear into new directions. The fashion industry may have just found that in the brand Dexterdexterdexter.

In only its third collection, for fall 2016 the brand looked to classic men’s silhouettes juxtaposed against the modern male consumer. Traditional silhouettes were repurposed for how the modern man lives his life and for the modern male consumer who though attracted to traditional menswear is not shy of taking a plunge toward the outré as long as the look is chic and sophisticated.

With that perspective in mind, Dexterdexterdexter took classic silhouettes and in some cases deconstructed the looks, reassembling the garments to appeal in a more contemporary way for the modern consumer. Though the brand stayed mostly with a neutral palette, this fall 2016 outing came alive when it came to the unique way the brand envision and executed clothing for the contemporary consumer.

Images courtesy of Omen PR

Skirting for men has been around for almost three decades. And most innovative menswear brands have made a foray into combining masculine and feminine silhouettes evidenced in their play on the man skirt. Dexterdexterdexter follows suit in this collection. And where some brands take on the man skirt does not reflect the DNA of the brand, Dexterdexterdexter man’s skirt fits right in with the signature aesthetic of the brand.

Standouts in the collection include the brand’s feathered man skirt, black dress jacket with black wrap man skirt, and tan man apron with white tee and trousers.

—William S. Gooch

Perry Ellis Fall 2016

February 6, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Since Perry Ellis’ death in the mid-1980s, the Perry Ellis brand has gone through several creative directors. For the last four years, Michael Maccari has elevated the brand to explore and develop the modern American males’ evolving style and desire for more variety silhouette, construction, fabrication and texture. Understanding that the menswear market is one of most expanding markets in the fashion industry, Maccari wisely in injecting more innovation and measured risk into the Perry Ellis brand.

For fall 2016, Maccari stayed with the classic silhouettes that the brand has become known for seen through a prism of a more modern, exaggerated approach to those silhouettes. Macccari approaches the Perry Ellis classic sports jacket with his perspective on restrained volume.

Understanding that the American male consumer has become more comfortable with a wider choice of colors, tones, and fabrications, this season Maccari has incorporated deeper hues of burgundy, goldenrod, plum, colonial blue, chestnut, teal, and mauve. (Who would ever think that Perry Ellis would include a floral jacquard suit, a wool-pleated grey tracksuit, and a red flannel suit?)

And with the American male consumers more expanded embrace of fashion, for fall 2016 Maccari has included some interesting fabric combinations, textile innovations, and layerings. For example, Maccari has created a basket weave Sierra Gilet in navy paired with micro windowpane indigo suit, as well as a techno tweed suit paired matched with a Foulard printed teal shirt.

At a perfunctory glance the collection has a basic, minimalist appeal. However, at closer examination, Maccari has created a fashion mélange of complicated color palettes, fabrications and textures that seamless forward his vision of modernity and sophistication. “When you step back, you start to get the bigger picture of shape and proportion, but when you get closer, that image is actually made up of many complicated textures and colors,” explained Maccari.

Standout looks in the fall 2016 collection are Maccari’s floral jacquard suit in navy with floral jacquard Gilet and flannel shirt in colonial blue, techno shearling in navy, basket weave bomber in navy with cashmere crewneck in Bernice beige, and cashmere funnel neck in chestnut with techno tweed trousers in taupe.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

With this fall 2016 collection, Maccari has made Perry Ellis a lot more relevant to younger consumers without losing his base of male consumers who like classic silhouettes. And his inventive pairings of innovative textiles, colors and fabrications will keep male consumers—particularly those opposed with style—wanting more.

—William S. Gooch

Nick Graham Fall 2016

February 5, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Coming up with an innovative collection is not the only way to get editors and industry professionals’ attention. After all, it is an arduous task to create eye-catching, innovative collections with a new perspective on silhouette, design and construction every season.

For fall 2016 Nick Graham found a way to celebrate traditional suit silhouettes with a presentation that combined an interesting inspiration—National Parks complete with park rangers. Models were perched on boxes surrounded by flora and fauna, and on occasion the flora and fauna was an extension of the clothes. Hats with huge plumes and birds attached; blossomed branches extending out of trousers; plumage spilling out of suit jackets, and floral headdresses with bird’s nest. And his inclusion of top male models such as Sebastian Suave and Travis Smith was an added attraction.

Though at times the flora and fauna embellishments were a distraction from the actual collection, overall Graham achieved his goal, a modern dissertation on suits. And Graham’s layering and pairing of polka dot, floral print shirts with pinstripe and plaid three-piece suits were fashion forward and reflects they way the modern male consumer approaches suiting.

By pairing some of the suits with hiking boots, and a sundry of hiking gear with the fitted, slim pants in this collection, Graham demonstrates that modern suiting can reflect a more relaxed, mobile lifestyle and goes beyond the more traditional, business projections of men’s suiting. In other words, modern suiting is and can be fun, and project a lifestyle of ease, comfort, and in Graham’s case, whimsy.

Images courtesy of Thomas Iannaccone/wwd.com

And that is a huge part of the charm of this collection; the whimsical affection injected each garment. Men’s suiting will never be the same!!

—William S. Gooch

SIKI IM Fall 2016

February 5, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

The “Undead” as inspiration for a menswear collection, odd you might think? An odd is right. But, if any menswear brand can pull it off, SIKI IM is the brand that can do it.

For several years SIKI IM has established itself as a brand that always looked to the unique and outré for inspiration. In previous outings SIKI IM has looked to goth themes, Safari North African chic, and boyish 90’s playful styles. As most fashion pundits have noted, a wide range of influences is the norm for SIKI IM, combining the outré with urban sophistication and fashion-forward sensibility.

That said; for fall 2016 SIKI IM looked to the “Undead.” Not an unusual direction for the brand in that SIKI IM is a lover of vampire lore. Still, can SIKI IM take this macabre motif and make wearable clothes with a certain amount of chicness and sophistication.

The answer is, yes!! Though some of the ghostly painted faces and dark red paint oozing out of the mouth of the models was at times ghastly theatrical and a bit distracting, the garments were a perfect melding of great layering and a modern distillation on restrained volume. And a couple of garment combinations that were shirtless or excluded tops lent an element of sensuality and urban swagger to the collection.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

SIKI IM’s color palette choice of shades of grey, oxblood, black, and aubergine made the brand’s “Undead” reference more tangible. And the fabric choices and design silhouettes of luxurious cashmeres, woolen car coats and blazers, Teflon-coated canvas jackets and pants gave this fall 2016 collection a distinct modern projection. SIKI IM also combined this collection with separates from its extension line DEN IM. Though DEN IM’s fall 2016 inspiration was based on German art and the Bauhaus aesthetic, there was a connecting thread that worked well in pairing the extension line with SIKI IM.

—William S. Gooch

Brett Johnson Fall 2016

February 5, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

New York Fashion Week: Men’s (NYFWM) is a great opportunity for emerging menswear designers to present their collections. And being that NYFWM’s is only in its second season the fashion calendar is primed and not yet overcrowded with too many designers and menswear brands.

That said; when a designer does present a collection at NYFWM it is important to bring their A-game. Consider, the New York fashion terrain is blessed with editors, stylists, and other industry professionals who have witnessed the best of the best, so second or third best just won’t do. And they will let you know it!!

For fall 2016, the American West and the lifestyle of successful men inspired Brett Johnson. There was an interesting injection of American West, Stetson-like hats; that are trending right now. As well as Western shirts, fringed jackets in mustard, burgundy, and bright red which nicely conjured up images of the modern Western theme-inspired man.

Johnson presented a clean, crisp collection that was well styled—with the exception with the outdated Timbaland boots—and highly professional. Unfortunately, that was where of the charm of the collection began and ended. The presentation was peppered with some the fashion industry’s African American fashion elite; perhaps, due to the fact that Brett Johnson is the scion of BET founder Robert Johnson.

Images courtesy of Masato Onoda/wwd.com

Still, clean, crisp presentation, good styling, and the black fashion elite aside, this collection was a missed opportunity for Brett Johnson. Most of the looks in this collection seemed outdated and could have been purchased at major American discount retailers several seasons ago. And being that Brett Johnson has been in business since 2013, it would have been a natural progression of his brand to bring to NYFWM’s something other than a collection that doesn’t register on an international menswear fashion radar.

However, with the right marketing and a little creative ingenuity, this fall 2016 collection could have a large presence in Southern and Midwestern markets, where most male consumers are looking for work staple, not menswear trends and fashion-forward clothing. Still, for work staples there are a host of household brands, so Johnson will have a lot of competition.

Johnson is in the ballpark of understanding his customer, he just needs to bring the wow factor up a few levels. Better luck next time!!

—William S. Gooch

Carlos Campos Fall 2016

February 4, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Carlos Campos often looks to Latin—and more specifically South American—themes for inspiration for his menswear collections. For spring 2016, the “Forastero,” the mysterious outsider, inspired Campos— the “Forastero” is a common theme in Latin American literature. For fall 2016 Campos looked to the quiet elegance of “El Capataz” (The Foreman). And the foreman in this case is, the man who oversees the coffee plantation.

For fall 206, Carlos Campos takes up on a Latin American journey. His “Capataz” is a man who is reservedly sophisticated and we see this man throughout the jointure of his day.

Campos through his chosen color palette expresses the colors and tones of the coffee plantation. With his classic camel tones, Campos references the light roasted coffee beans. Campos’s deep navy and bold winter whites stay true to signature colors that pop up in his collection season after season. And with Campos’ injection of winter white, Campos is staying on trend this season with many other designers—Nautica, Duckie Brown, General Idea, and Custo Barcelona’s menswear—is no longer alienating to the American male consumer.

This collection in some aspects seemed a bit more utilitarian than other Campos outings. There were more pants with cargo pockets and strap appendages of all kinds that reminisce of the utilitarian need of male workers in mountain climates of South America. And one of the more playful injections in the collection was a camel sweatshirt that proclaimed “No Hay Café Sin Agua,” translated means “There is no coffee without water.”

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

The true joy of this fall 2016 collection was the camel outerwear that were presented in hooded bomber, wool trucker, single breasted, and poncho shawl fashions. Standouts in the collection were Campos’ camel double-breasted wool cropped jacket, winter white military cape, and camel kaleidoscope printed sweatshirt.

—William S. Gooch

Greg Lauren Fall 2016

February 4, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

In this second season of New York Fashion Week: Men’s (NYFWM) several menswear designers have instituted a different approach to presenting their menswear collections. Some of these designers realize that having the typical runway/presentation is no longer sufficient to attract industry professionals and consumers. In an era were images from runways/presentations are posted immediately on social media, live streamed, and reviewed in online sites, getting and keeping consumers attention is an arduous task.

For fall 2016 Greg Lauren went for the ultimate attention-grabbing moments. And it worked!! Though his fall 2016 collection included his brand’s DNA of a deconstructed, layered aesthetic with a heavy nod to Americana Western themes, Lauren’s fall 2016 presentation extended his brand’s DNA to include a more athletic, robust male aesthetic that was missing from previous outings.

Using pugilistic themes as inspiration for his fall 2016 collection, replete with a boxing ring and other fisticuff paraphernalia, Lauren divided his presentation into different scenes. With the pugilistic theme being the main theme, Lauren also included an artist theme, a winter beach theme, shoe shine gang, journal gang, and re-interpretation of men’s suiting theme.

Lauren is making an impression in menswear for deconstructing traditional menswear silhouettes and reconstructing those recognizable silhouettes into something innovative and thought provoking. Take for example, the 18^th century men’s suit with tails, Lauren deconstructs this classic model and reassembles this look into a current distillation on men’s suiting seen through the lens of comfort and casual ease that is appealing to the modern male consumer. The hoodie is reinterpreted and refreshed into a California beach-inspired outerwear parka.

Images courtesy of Giovanni Giannoni/wwd.com

Now, the question that comes to mind with Lauren’s design aesthetic is if his oeuvre will appeal to a wide demographic of male consumers. Probably not; however, niche markets are becoming bigger in menswear and Lauren’s design aesthetic fits right into that category of menswear consumer brands that gives the chic, sophisticated consumer something fashion forward and different.

Standout looks in the fall 2016 collection were Greg Lauren’s charcoal tent stripped Baja parka, charcoal dinner jacket, hooded patchwork long flight studio jacket, and linen patchwork tux shirt with square rib.

Robert Geller Fall 2016

February 3, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Is James Bond in the building? You would have thought so if you witnessed Robert Geller’s fall 2016 runway presentation. All the Bond-like props were front and center; spy attaché case, chic trend coat, derby hats slyly tipped over the eye and let’s not forget models with swagger.

Still, James Bond was not quite the inspiration for Robert Geller’s fall 2016 collection. The German-born Geller took inspiration from a German’s children’s book, The Grey Gentlemen. This German children’s story centers on men in in grey suits with a grey complexion who come to a German town suck time and all the life and joy out of the town. Not a Grimm fairy tale but grim nonetheless.

It is very clear for Geller’s fall 2016 collection that he understands where menswear is going. With is combination of familiar silhouettes that work paired with unconventional silhouettes—man skirts, man aprons, gaucho-like pants, Geller has ingeniously discovered how to mix the old with the new without alienating his audience. And while there is a strong nod toward classic looks in this collection and is a prominent project to where menswear is heading.

Also, what also works in this collection is Geller’s ability to dress his guy at almost every jointure of his day. There is great outwear, looks that are more casual and looks for that adventurous dude whose fashion risk taking is chic and exciting.

In addition to the combination of classic and unconventional silhouettes this fall 2016 collection contains an interesting range of colors and fabrications. Geller introduces his fall 2016 design aesthetic with mostly neutral colors, greys, black, browns and some navy; however, by the end of runway show that was a dynamic injection of color evidenced in deep purple, bordeaux, and mustard. Coincidentally, this varying color palette was matched by Geller’s inclusion of fabrications that included velvet, satin, and light-as-air cupro cotton.

Images courtesy of vogue.com/ Indigital.tv

Geller is getting it right; truly understanding that the modern male consumer’s thirst for interesting and innovative clothes is wider than previously assumed. And retailers are starting to stand up and take notice. We anxiously await his spring 2017 collection!!

—William S. Gooch

velvet, satin, and light-as-air cupro cotton

Nautica Fall 2016

February 3, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Who says you cannot wear white after Labor Day, certainly, not Nautica. Well, if Nautica has its way a lot of stylish men will be donning white throughout the entire fall and winter 2016/2017 seasons.

For fall 2016 Nautica drew inspiration from that juxtaposition of city meeting the sea. The 2016 urban dweller can now look to Nautica for nautically inspired garments that reflect architectural inspirations, textures, and details. This newly juxtaposed cross-pollination of urban and aquatic life has produced a collection of very wearable, sophisticated garments that the Nautica man can wear at almost every jointure of his day as he traversing continents, culture, and lifestyles.

For decades, Nautica has made a tradition out successfully translating nautical themes into contemporary menswear garments that would appeal to the male consumer who might not necessarily look to nautical or aquatic motifs as a point of reference for daily clothing options. With its updated nautical message of “inspired by the sea, designed in the city,” Nautica is looking to re-imagine its signature nautical aesthetic for the modern male consumer who has a more utilitarian, versatile lifestyle.

That said, Steve McSween, Nautica’s vice president of global design menswear, has lived up to the challenge of re-invigorating Nautica’s design aesthetic, particularly for fall 2016. And McSween and the design team accomplished this new direction while staying true to the brand’s DNA.

Are the brand’s design silhouettes the same? Mostly, yes; however, the fall 2016 collection does includes some new additions including some fitted long coats, reflective parkas, and an array of multi-striped striped sweaters—a real departure from Nautica’s affection for solids.

Still, the overall look of Nautica is essentially the same. Nautical influences are still a primary influence in this outing. However, what is uniquely different about the brand this season is its projection toward the international urban traveler, which moves the brand’s appeal away from solely American sportswear. And the styling of the fall 2016 collection was absolutely superb.

As previously mentioned there is lots of white, or should I say sail cream, to go around—white pea coats, white admiral coats, white parkas, white bombers, and white slacks and sweaters. And Nautica’s predilection for white this season was punctured with chicness, sophistication, and a sense of modernity.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Standouts in the fall 2016 collection are the brand’s sail cream wool admiral coat with camel Mohair Merino horizon turtleneck with sail cream twill officer pant, jet navy wool technical parka with carbon fine Merino rib turtleneck and jet navy nylon Navtech jogger pant, kelp green slick nylon hazard jacket with sail cream slick stretch turtleneck and jet navy snappy nylon Navtech jogger pant, electric blue stealth reflective down parka with carbon soft reversed deck shirt and carbon nylon Navteck short, and sail crème windowpane bomber with jet navy stretch ponte jogger pant.

White after Labor Day, you betcha!!

—William S. Gooch

General Idea Fall 2016

February 3, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It has been a couple of seasons since General Idea has shown in New York City. Thankfully, when Creative Director Bumsuk Choi decided to come back to NYC, there is now a New Fashion Week: Men’s fashion week, placing the Korean brand around fellow menswear confreres.

Always known for its great coats and jackets, in previous seasons Bumsuk Choi has been inspired by an urban warrior aesthetic, sporty color blocking, outdoor mountaineering and camping, and functional athletic wear. And as with every collection there are strong Asian influences expressed in clear architectural, minimalist ideals.

For fall 2016 there were, once again, strong Asian influences and clear architectural, minimalist motifs. However, in this outing Choi has found a way to synthesize all these influences into a single, refined dissertation on modern sophistication as expressed in men’s outerwear. From the stylish, clean lines of his jackets and coats to the subtle color combinations to the bold digital prints on black backgrounds, this collection was by far Choi’s most refined and masterful. It is as though Choi has finally found his oeuvre without sacrificing the brand’s emphasis on freshness and youthful charm.

Where in past collections, Choi’s age demographic focused primarily on the stylish man in his 20s, this collection could appeal to a much wider age and style demographic. And the now and next point of view that should always be a part of every collection, but is sadly missing from most, was delicately balanced in this fall outing.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Though there were some garment combinations that seemed slightly out of place in this otherwise cohesive collection—beige cotton sweatshirt with eyelet detail, denim short-sleeved tee shirt with triangle patch detail and denim pants, and beige turtleneck wool tee shirt with navy wool overalls—overall Choi’s fall 2016 collection was a wonderful evolution and projection of where General Idea is going. Standouts in the collection were black wool oversized coat with graphic and black wool oversized knit turtleneck, camel alpaca oversized coat, ivory wool long bomber jacket with navy tape detail and ivory wool knit turtleneck, and grey leather jacket with graphic.

—William S. Gooch